Poll: Ben Affleck Is The Next Batman — Is He The Right Choice?

<> at Pacific Design Center on April 9, 2013 in West Hollywood, California.

Photo Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Late Thursday night, the social media world lit up over the breaking news that 41-year-old Ben Affleck has been named the next Batman for the Man of Steel sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The sequel, which was announced at this year’s Comic-Con, pits Superman and Batman together on the big screen for the very first time. The highly anticipated project will be taken on by Man of Steel director Zack Synder, and will feature Henry Cavill back as Superman, along with Amy Adams and Diane Lane reprising their roles.

“We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some,” Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman said in a statement.

Affleck is the eighth actor to don the black mask and cape on film as Batman following the likes of Christian Bale, George Clooney, Val Kilmer and Michael Keaton. Affleck also isn’t a stranger to playing superheroes on film; he portrayed the blind superhero in 2003’s under-performing blockbuster Daredevil, which grossed $180 million worldwide.

The film is scheduled for release on July 17, 2015 under Warner Bros., which was the same studio to release Affleck’s Oscar-winning film Argo just last year.